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Policy 1419 – Overload Policies

Revision Date: 1/7/2021

Last Review: 1/7/2021

Responsible Office: Provost

Policy:

The University will recognize overload compensation for research, teaching, and other projects only as those activities are in addition to the faculty or staff member’s assigned load and responsibilities. As feasible, requests for overload compensation
are to be submitted through appropriate Departments and approved by the President
prior to the period in which compensation is to begin.

Research and Sponsored Projects

  1. Louisiana Tech encourages its faculty and staff to undertake research and other projects sponsored by both the University and external agencies as a means of enriching their scholarly competence and offering modern instructional programs to both graduate and undergraduate students. These projects are further encouraged as a means of providing valuable public services.
  2. The summer sessions are often a convenient period for nine-month employees to pursue sponsored projects on a full-time basis or to split effort between teaching and sponsored projects.
  3. It is a general policy of Louisiana Tech that sponsored projects be undertaken on a released-time basis. When an employee undertakes sponsored projects on a released-time basis, the grant shall be charged for that portion of his/her time devoted to the project provided that it is compatible with the terms of the grant. The rate of compensation shall be the same as that paid by Louisiana Tech.
  4. In those instances where it is not possible for an employee to be released from his/her regular University duties to undertake sponsored projects, payments for overload employment may be permitted up to 20% (gross) of annual or 12-month salary rate (9-month salary plus 1/3 for the summer quarter for persons on a 9-month appointment). The 20% allowable overload will be placed on the fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30. It is understood that overload employment will be undertaken only when the additional duties will not interfere with regular University duties and are clearly allowed by the sponsoring agency. The rate of pay for the overload compensation shall not exceed the equivalent of one-and one-half times the regular hourly rate paid by Louisiana Tech. Computation of hourly rate will be based on 2,080 hours per year for 12-month employees and 1,560 hours per year for 9-month employees.
  5. The 20% allowed for overload employment (discussed in Item 4) also applies to credit extension courses taught on an overload basis, credit courses taught in the Barksdale Program on an overload basis, non-credit continuing education courses taught on an
    overload basis, and other programs which might involve overload compensation and which are processed through the University payroll. The 20% limitation applies to the total of all overload employment, not to each instance separately.
  6. Under the following conditions, overload compensation may be allowed to a maximum of 30% of the annual salary:
    1. Overload compensation in excess of 20% of annualized salary must be earned and paid through sponsored research (grant/external funds); and
    2. To qualify for compensation above 20%, the proposed research must
      1. produce student credit hours;
      2. provide substantial indirect costs (minimum of 15% of salary and wages or 10% of total grant);
      3. provide funding for graduate assistantships or instructional equipment or supplies; and
      4. receive the support of the academic Unit Head and Dean.
  1. The policies of a sponsoring agency shall govern overload compen­sation when they are more restrictive than the above institutional policies.

 

Teaching

  1. Assignments for teaching credit courses on an overload basis (i.e., beyond an appointed load and for extra compensation) will be recommended by the appropriate Unit Head or Director and submitted for approval prior to beginning of the teaching assignment.
  2. The compensation rate for credit teaching assignments on an overload basis has been set at 6% of the 9-month salary rate of the respective faculty member for each 3-hour credit class with the rate prorated for varying credit hours. Maximum overload compensation per credit hour is $1,500 or $4,500 for a three-hour course.
  3. Faculty are compensated for teaching online courses (when the course is not part of the regularly assigned teaching load) at the rate of $45.00 per SCH for each student enrolled in the overload class. The maximum payment will be equal to the University’s established overload rate, which is 6% of that faculty member’s 9-month salary for a three-hour course, capped at a maximum $4,500. Overload compensation for development of an online course is $1,700.
  4. The 20% allowed for overload employment (discussed in Item 3 above) also applies to credit courses taught on an overload basis. The 20% limitation applies to the total of all overload employment, not to each instance separately. Maximum overload compensation for each three-hour credit course has been set at $4,500.
  5. Faculty members (full-time or part-time) on a 9-month appointment who teach credit courses at Barksdale AFB or credit extension courses as part of their regular appointed load are paid a Displacement Allowance to cover the transportation costs and other costs associated with travel. The Displacement Allowance is calculated as follows: Displacement Allowance is equal to Displacement Unit X Round-trip Mileage X Number of Trips. The Displacement Unit is the sum of the current state mileage allowance and the current average all-ranks faculty salary per minute. The Current Displacement Unit may be obtained from the Business Manager. Map mileage from one town to another will be used in computing mileage, and no Displacement Allowance will be paid for travel within Ruston city limits. Mileage for displacement purposes will normally be computed from a faculty member’s town of residence (in most cases from Ruston). The Displacement Allowance paid for these types of programs is not considered as “overload” and does not count in the computation of the 20% maximum overload limitation.
  6. Persons (full-time or part-time) are not paid a Displacement Allowance if the off-campus instruction is beyond the appointed load. Persons whose loads are knows to vary from term-to-term should be appointed term-by-term.
  7. A faculty member’s “load” is defined as part of a specific appointment. Employment off-campus for pay beyond a given appointment and load is considered as an overload. As an example, payment for additional work for a person who holds a 1/4 time appointment would be considered as an overload payment. Part-time faculty members may be employed beyond their appointed salary and be remunerated up to the equivalency of full-time employment.
  8. Regular 9-month faculty members who are not employed full-time on the main campus during the summer are considered part-time and do not receive a displacement allowance for off-campus instruction. This is to say that they are appointed for the summer to teach a designated load on campus for X dollars. If they exceed X dollars through off-campus teaching, it is considered an overload, and they are not eligible for a Displacement Allowance.

 

Administrative Projects

Overload compensation for non-teaching administrators is not encouraged, and staff will be considered only when submitted by the budget unit head, supported with justification of added duties which are not job related, and of the magnitude and duration which would require compensation. Documentation of additional hours necessary will be required.

Definitions:

None.

Procedures:

An Appointment Request Form must be used when an employee is undertaking employment on a released-time basis and a part of his/her regular salary is being charged to the grant. The form should indicate that portion of the individual’s salary charged to the grant or contract as well as the time period involved. The form should be initiated by the employee’s appropriate Department or Division Head.

An Overload Salary Authorization Form (either the Research Time, Effort, and Compensation Overload Authorization Form or the Teaching/Non-Research Overload Authorization Form) must be initiated by a Project director or appropriate administrator in order to authorize the payment of overload compensation for Louisiana Tech employees. The Department of Human Resources will not honor any other form for any type of overload salary payment. The form should be signed by the proper officials and not by someone signing for them. When the sponsor of a project is a public agency, a letter or copy of a policy statement from that agency which specifically authorizes overload compensation must accompany the Overload Salary Authorization Form..

Monthly time sheets (including time and effort forms and work load forms, as appropriate) must be submitted for Research Time, Effort, and Compensation Overload Authorization Forms. Teaching/Non-Research Overload Authorization Forms require no action other than approval for a fixed monthly payment or a one-time payment.

Classified (Civil Service) employees are not permitted to receive any additional compensation except as a result of overtime employment in which instances some classes of employees may be paid time and a half. Civil Service regulations should be consulted in advance on the limitations and/or exclusions governing overtime payments. In any case, Civil Service rules for classified employees take precedence over Louisiana Tech policies.

 

Policy 1419 – Overload Policies

Revision Date: 1/7/2021

Last Review: 1/7/2021

Responsible Office: Provost

Policy:

The University will recognize overload compensation for research, teaching, and other projects only as those activities are in addition to the faculty or staff member’s assigned load and responsibilities. As feasible, requests for overload compensation
are to be submitted through appropriate Departments and approved by the President
prior to the period in which compensation is to begin.

Research and Sponsored Projects

  1. Louisiana Tech encourages its faculty and staff to undertake research and other projects sponsored by both the University and external agencies as a means of enriching their scholarly competence and offering modern instructional programs to both graduate and undergraduate students. These projects are further encouraged as a means of providing valuable public services.
  2. The summer sessions are often a convenient period for nine-month employees to pursue sponsored projects on a full-time basis or to split effort between teaching and sponsored projects.
  3. It is a general policy of Louisiana Tech that sponsored projects be undertaken on a released-time basis. When an employee undertakes sponsored projects on a released-time basis, the grant shall be charged for that portion of his/her time devoted to the project provided that it is compatible with the terms of the grant. The rate of compensation shall be the same as that paid by Louisiana Tech.
  4. In those instances where it is not possible for an employee to be released from his/her regular University duties to undertake sponsored projects, payments for overload employment may be permitted up to 20% (gross) of annual or 12-month salary rate (9-month salary plus 1/3 for the summer quarter for persons on a 9-month appointment). The 20% allowable overload will be placed on the fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30. It is understood that overload employment will be undertaken only when the additional duties will not interfere with regular University duties and are clearly allowed by the sponsoring agency. The rate of pay for the overload compensation shall not exceed the equivalent of one-and one-half times the regular hourly rate paid by Louisiana Tech. Computation of hourly rate will be based on 2,080 hours per year for 12-month employees and 1,560 hours per year for 9-month employees.
  5. The 20% allowed for overload employment (discussed in Item 4) also applies to credit extension courses taught on an overload basis, credit courses taught in the Barksdale Program on an overload basis, non-credit continuing education courses taught on an
    overload basis, and other programs which might involve overload compensation and which are processed through the University payroll. The 20% limitation applies to the total of all overload employment, not to each instance separately.
  6. Under the following conditions, overload compensation may be allowed to a maximum of 30% of the annual salary:
    1. Overload compensation in excess of 20% of annualized salary must be earned and paid through sponsored research (grant/external funds); and
    2. To qualify for compensation above 20%, the proposed research must
      1. produce student credit hours;
      2. provide substantial indirect costs (minimum of 15% of salary and wages or 10% of total grant);
      3. provide funding for graduate assistantships or instructional equipment or supplies; and
      4. receive the support of the academic Unit Head and Dean.
  1. The policies of a sponsoring agency shall govern overload compen­sation when they are more restrictive than the above institutional policies.

 

Teaching

  1. Assignments for teaching credit courses on an overload basis (i.e., beyond an appointed load and for extra compensation) will be recommended by the appropriate Unit Head or Director and submitted for approval prior to beginning of the teaching assignment.
  2. The compensation rate for credit teaching assignments on an overload basis has been set at 6% of the 9-month salary rate of the respective faculty member for each 3-hour credit class with the rate prorated for varying credit hours. Maximum overload compensation per credit hour is $1,500 or $4,500 for a three-hour course.
  3. Faculty are compensated for teaching online courses (when the course is not part of the regularly assigned teaching load) at the rate of $45.00 per SCH for each student enrolled in the overload class. The maximum payment will be equal to the University’s established overload rate, which is 6% of that faculty member’s 9-month salary for a three-hour course, capped at a maximum $4,500. Overload compensation for development of an online course is $1,700.
  4. The 20% allowed for overload employment (discussed in Item 3 above) also applies to credit courses taught on an overload basis. The 20% limitation applies to the total of all overload employment, not to each instance separately. Maximum overload compensation for each three-hour credit course has been set at $4,500.
  5. Faculty members (full-time or part-time) on a 9-month appointment who teach credit courses at Barksdale AFB or credit extension courses as part of their regular appointed load are paid a Displacement Allowance to cover the transportation costs and other costs associated with travel. The Displacement Allowance is calculated as follows: Displacement Allowance is equal to Displacement Unit X Round-trip Mileage X Number of Trips. The Displacement Unit is the sum of the current state mileage allowance and the current average all-ranks faculty salary per minute. The Current Displacement Unit may be obtained from the Business Manager. Map mileage from one town to another will be used in computing mileage, and no Displacement Allowance will be paid for travel within Ruston city limits. Mileage for displacement purposes will normally be computed from a faculty member’s town of residence (in most cases from Ruston). The Displacement Allowance paid for these types of programs is not considered as “overload” and does not count in the computation of the 20% maximum overload limitation.
  6. Persons (full-time or part-time) are not paid a Displacement Allowance if the off-campus instruction is beyond the appointed load. Persons whose loads are knows to vary from term-to-term should be appointed term-by-term.
  7. A faculty member’s “load” is defined as part of a specific appointment. Employment off-campus for pay beyond a given appointment and load is considered as an overload. As an example, payment for additional work for a person who holds a 1/4 time appointment would be considered as an overload payment. Part-time faculty members may be employed beyond their appointed salary and be remunerated up to the equivalency of full-time employment.
  8. Regular 9-month faculty members who are not employed full-time on the main campus during the summer are considered part-time and do not receive a displacement allowance for off-campus instruction. This is to say that they are appointed for the summer to teach a designated load on campus for X dollars. If they exceed X dollars through off-campus teaching, it is considered an overload, and they are not eligible for a Displacement Allowance.

 

Administrative Projects

Overload compensation for non-teaching administrators is not encouraged, and staff will be considered only when submitted by the budget unit head, supported with justification of added duties which are not job related, and of the magnitude and duration which would require compensation. Documentation of additional hours necessary will be required.

Definitions:

None.

Procedures:

An Appointment Request Form must be used when an employee is undertaking employment on a released-time basis and a part of his/her regular salary is being charged to the grant. The form should indicate that portion of the individual’s salary charged to the grant or contract as well as the time period involved. The form should be initiated by the employee’s appropriate Department or Division Head.

An Overload Salary Authorization Form (either the Research Time, Effort, and Compensation Overload Authorization Form or the Teaching/Non-Research Overload Authorization Form) must be initiated by a Project director or appropriate administrator in order to authorize the payment of overload compensation for Louisiana Tech employees. The Department of Human Resources will not honor any other form for any type of overload salary payment. The form should be signed by the proper officials and not by someone signing for them. When the sponsor of a project is a public agency, a letter or copy of a policy statement from that agency which specifically authorizes overload compensation must accompany the Overload Salary Authorization Form..

Monthly time sheets (including time and effort forms and work load forms, as appropriate) must be submitted for Research Time, Effort, and Compensation Overload Authorization Forms. Teaching/Non-Research Overload Authorization Forms require no action other than approval for a fixed monthly payment or a one-time payment.

Classified (Civil Service) employees are not permitted to receive any additional compensation except as a result of overtime employment in which instances some classes of employees may be paid time and a half. Civil Service regulations should be consulted in advance on the limitations and/or exclusions governing overtime payments. In any case, Civil Service rules for classified employees take precedence over Louisiana Tech policies.